CT-based delineation of organs at risk in the head and neck region: DAHANCA, EORTC, GORTEC, HKNPCSG, NCIC CTG, NCRI, NRG Oncology and TROG consensus guidelines

Charlotte L Brouwer; Roel J H M Steenbakkers; Jean Bourhis; Wilfried Budach; Cai Grau; Vincent Grégoire; Marcel van Herk; Anne Lee; Philippe Maingon; Chris Nutting; Brian O'Sullivan; Sandro V Porceddu; David I Rosenthal; Nanna M Sijtsema; Johannes A Langendijk

doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2015.07.041

CT-based delineation of organs at risk in the head and neck region: DAHANCA, EORTC, GORTEC, HKNPCSG, NCIC CTG, NCRI, NRG Oncology and TROG consensus guidelines

Radiother Oncol. 2015 Oct;117(1):83-90. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2015.07.041. Epub 2015 Aug 13.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Radiation Oncology, Groningen, The Netherlands.
² Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland(2).
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany.
⁴ Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark(3).
⁵ Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, Clinical and Experimental Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium(4).
⁶ Christie Hospital and University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
⁷ Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) Hospital, China(5).
⁸ Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Georges-François Leclerc, Dijon, France(6).
⁹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK(7).
¹⁰ Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada(8).
¹¹ Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia(9).
¹² Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX, USA(10).

PMID: 26277855
DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2015.07.041

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this project was to define consensus guidelines for delineating organs at risk (OARs) for head and neck radiotherapy for routine daily practice and for research purposes.

Methods: Consensus guidelines were formulated based on in-depth discussions of a panel of European, North American, Asian and Australian radiation oncologists.

Results: Twenty-five OARs in the head and neck region were defined with a concise description of their main anatomic boundaries. The Supplemental material provides an atlas of the consensus guidelines, projected on 1mm axial slices. The atlas can also be obtained in DICOM-RT format on request.

Conclusion: Consensus guidelines for head and neck OAR delineation were defined, aiming to decrease interobserver variability among clinicians and radiotherapy centers.

Keywords: Consensus delineation guidelines; Head and neck; Interobserver variability; Organs at risk.

Publication types

Consensus Development Conference
Practice Guideline

MeSH terms

Head / anatomy & histology
Head / diagnostic imaging
Head and Neck Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
Head and Neck Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
Humans
Neck / anatomy & histology
Neck / diagnostic imaging
Observer Variation
Organs at Risk / diagnostic imaging*
Radiotherapy / adverse effects
Tomography, X-Ray Computed